A brief announcement (here) from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington states that the office will conduct the investigation of controversial Spokane Mayor Jim West after the Eastern District USAO recused itself from the case. The investigation concerns possible violations of federal anti-corruption laws by West for offering city jobs and appointments to young men he met in on-line chat rooms. An article in the Spokane Spokesman-Review (here) discusses the investigation, including the appointment of one person to the city's Human Rights Commission who had a relationship with West. (ph)

» Investigation of Former Spokane Mayor Closed from White Collar Crime Prof Blog
The federal investigation of former Spokane Mayor Jim West ended with the FBI determining that there was no evidence that he intended to engage in honest services fraud related to offering jobs to men he met through internet chat rooms. [Read More]